Attachment for animal-traps.



A. J. COLEMAN.

ATTACHMENT FOR ANIMAL TRAPS.

APPLICATION FILED APR.21, 1913.

1,095,081 I Patented Apr. 28, 1914.

vwmtoz HRTHUK J- COLEMHN ARTHUR J. COLEMAN, 0F GR-EENFIELD, INDIANA.

ATTACHMENT FOR ANIMAL-TRAPS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. as, rare.

Application filed April 21, 1913. Serial No. 762,600.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ARTHUR J. COLEMAN, acitizen of the United States, residing at Greenfield, in the county ofHancock and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Attachments for Animal-Traps, of which. the following isa specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in animal trapsand more particularly to an attachment for musk-rat traps and my objectis to provide a device which will prevent the animal, after being caughtin the trap, from rising to the surface of the water.

A further object of the invention resides in providing an improved forkor hook member on the securing chain to prevent the ring of theattaching chain from being carried upwardly on the first mentionedchain.

A still further object of the invention re sides in providing a devicewhich is simple and durable in construction, inexpensive to manufactureand one which will be very efficient and useful in operation.

"With these and other objects in View, the invention consists in thenovel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts aswill be hereinafter referred to and more particularly pointed out in thespecification and claim.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this application Figure 1is a per spective view showing the device applied to use; and Fig. 2 isan enlarged perspective view of the improved fastener on the securingchain.

In describing my invention, I shall refer to the drawing in whichsimilar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughoutthe several views and in which 1 indicates an attaching chain carried ona trap 2, particularly adapted for trapping musk-rats and other wateranimals of this character and the end of the attaching chain oppositethat having the trap attached thereto is provided with an enlarged ring3. A securing chain A is also provided, the same being disposed throughthe ring 3 and the one end thereof is engaged with an additional ring 5through the medium of a snap hook 6. This ring 5 is adapted to besecured in any desired manner to the bank of a stream. The opposite or,what may be termed the outer, end of the securing chain t is providedwith a smaller ring 7 and the lower portion of said chain A is loopedthrough this latter ring and engaged with a weight 8. This weight islowered to the bottom of the stream and thus the attaching chain withthe t ap thereon is properly secured for operation.

My invention primarily contemplates the provision of a means on thesecuring chain for the prevention of the drawing upwardly of the ring 3on the chaint after an animal has been caught in the trap and to thisend, I provide a fork-like plate 9. This forklike plate tapers towardthe end thereof opposite that having the prongs thereon and terminatesat the last mentioned end in a hook or the like 10 which is engaged withone of the links of the chain. This forklike plate is provided withthree spaced prongs, the central of which is also adapted to be disposedthrough a link of the chain 4, said last mentioned prong being somewhatbowed to retain the same in engagement with the last mentioned link ofthe chain when once disposed therethrough. When this fork-like plate 9is properly engaged with the chain in the manner above described, theouter prongs thereof will spread outwardly on opposite sides of saidchain and the same will be securely held in posi tion thereon.

It must be here stated that the ring 3 is applied on the chain 4 betweenthis forklike plate member 9 and the ring 5, and said ring member 3 isof such a diameter as to readily ride over the fork-like member 9 whencarried downwardly along the chain. When drawn upwardly on the chain 4t,however, after the same has been drawn over the fork-like member 9, saidring will be engaged with the prongs of said member 9 and prevented frommoving farther on the chain. In practice, therefore, assuming that thedevice is set up for operation when an animal such as a musk-rat iscaught in the trap 2, it immediately dives downwardly and outwardly intodeeper water and thus the ring 3 will be carried downwardly on the chain4 over the member 9. The animal will then attempt to rise to the surfaceof the water and as the ring is carried upwardly on the chain 4, thesame will, as stated above, be engaged with the prongs of the member 9and prevented from rising on said chain. Thus the animal will beretained under the water and drowned.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a simpleinexpensive and efficient means for carrying out the objects of theinvention and While I have particularly described the elements bestadapted to perform the functions set forth, it is obvious that variouschanges in form, proportion and in the minor details of construction maybe resorted to without depart-V ing from the spirit or sacrificing anyof the principles of the invention.

Having ,thus described this invention, what I claim is In a trap of theclass described, a chain suitably supported at its ends, a forlrlikeplate member having a trio of spaced pr0ngs formed at one 7 end thereofand tapered smaller toward its opposite end, the central ARTHUR J.COLEMAN.

lVitnesses CHAUNCEY W. DUNCAN, ELMER JAMES.

flonles of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, byaddressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

